Gordon D. Ginder, M.D.Director, Eric and Jeanette Lipman Chair in Oncology and member of the Cancer Molecular Genetics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center; professor of internal medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care, affiliate professor in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics and affiliate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the VCU School of Medicine

Dr. Ginder has served as director of VCU Massey Cancer Center since 1997. In this position, he oversees a cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that provides outstanding cancer care and oncology education and conducts groundbreaking research to discover new ways to prevent, treat and ultimately cure cancer. In addition to directing the activities of Massey’s 130 members – researchers and physicians from 22 academic departments at VCU – he also manages a research laboratory at VCU. His current research focuses on regulating genes that are critical to immune cells killing cancer cells. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NCI have continuously supported his research for more than 30 years, and he is the recipient of an NIH merit award. A board-certified medical hematologist-oncologist, Dr. Ginder also actively treats patients, specializing in blood and lymph node cancers and bone marrow transplantation. He was elected to both the American Society for Clinical Research and the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Ginder has served on numerous review boards for NIH and the American Cancer Society, and is a member of several professional societies. In 2002, he received the W. Robert Irby Award for Philanthropic Leadership by the MCV Foundation, and in 2003, he was honored by the Governor and the Science Museum of Virginia as Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist of the Year.

Dr. Ginder received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. He trained in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University Hospital and in molecular genetics at the NIH, and he completed a fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at the University of Iowa.

Beata Holkova, M.D.Harrison Endowed Scholar in Cancer Research, member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program and Clinical Scholar, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Foundation at VCU Massey Cancer Center; assistant professor of internal medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care at the VCU School of Medicine

Dr. Holkova is a hematologist-oncologist and clinical researcher at VCU Massey Cancer Center. Her primary research interest is targeted therapies in hematological malignancies, with a particular emphasis on novel combination regimens, employing these agents in phase 1 clinical trials for patients with multiple myeloma, lymphomas and acute and chronic leukemia. She is currently in the process of developing an amyloidosis program at VCU Medical Center.

Dr. Holkova earned her medical degree at Comenius University in the Slovak Republic, completed a residency at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a fellowship at the NIH/NCI.

Mark Malkin, M.D.Neurological oncologist and member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center and professor of neurology at the VCU School of Medicine

At Massey, Dr. Malkin works with a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, neuropathologists, neuroradiologists, neuropsychologists, clinical research nurses and other skilled and experienced clinicians to plan a course of treatment that is unique and comprehensive for each patient. He also collaborates with Massey scientists who are conducting laboratory research on neurological cancers to help them translate their discoveries into clinical trials with the hope of developing innovative therapies for malignant and benign tumors.

Prior to joining Massey, Dr. Malkin served as professor of neurology, chief of the division of neuro-oncology and chair of the brain and spine tumor faculty research committee at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and chair of the cancer committee at Froedtert Hospital. Prior to that, he served as associate clinical member and director of the Neurology Graduate Medical Education and Neuro-oncology Fellowship programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, and associate professor of clinical neurology and associate attending neurologist at Cornell University Medical College/New York Hospital.

Dr. Malkin earned his medical degree from the University of Toronto in Canada, where he also completed his residency in the Neurology Training Program. He then moved to the United States to serve a fellowship in neuro-oncology at MSKCC. He is board certified in neurology by the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and in neuro-oncology by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties.

Dr. Malkin’s honors include the Canadian-American Bumper-Borden Fellowship at MSKCC, the Clinical Oncology Career Development Award of the American Cancer Society, the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award of the Department of Neurology at MCW, Fellowship in the American Academy of Neurology and the Outstanding Medical Student Teaching Award in Neurology from MCW. He has also been continuously recognized as a Best Doctor in America from 2005 to present.

Khalid Matin, M.D., F.A.C.P.Medical director of community oncology and clinical research affiliations and member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center; associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care at the VCU School of Medicine

Dr. Matin is a board-certified medical oncologist and clinical researcher who specializes gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. He has developed several clinical trials for GI cancers, and has served as the principal investigator and co-investigator on various colorectal and lung cancer trials. Dr. Matin oversees Massey’s partnerships with third-party hospitals and oncology practices, and manages the clinical trials program for the statewide Research Affiliation Network.

Dr. Matin received his medical degree from Aga Khan University Medical College in Pakistan before completing a residency at Hennepin County Medical Center and a fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

John M. McCarty, M.D.Medical director of the Bone Marrow Transplant program and member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center

Dr. McCarty is the medical director of the Bone Marrow Transplant program at VCU Massey Cancer Center and a member of Massey’s Hematologic Malignancy Multidisciplinary Group. His areas of clinical expertise within the Internal Medicine Department include hematology/oncology, bone marrow transplantation, medical oncology and urgent care medicine. His clinical research focuses on improving stem cell transplant procedures and outcomes and developing new immunotherapeutic approaches for a variety of blood disorders.

Dr. McCarty received his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and he finished his fellowship in hematology and bone marrow transplantation at the University of Washington.

Giao Q. Phan, M.D., F.A.C.S.Surgical oncologist and research program member at VCU Massey Cancer Center

Dr. Phan is a surgical oncologist and clinical investigator at Massey. Her clinical research focuses on immunotherapy, and she specializes in the treatment of melanoma, endocrine tumors and breast cancer. Prior to joining Massey, Dr. Phan was a surgeon and faculty member of the immunotherapy team at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surgery Branch, where she was an associate investigator in clinical trials involving adoptive cell therapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), gene-modified T cell receptors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells.

Dr. Phan received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Columbia University, obtained her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed her general surgery residency at Washington University in St. Louis. She further pursued an immunotherapy research fellowship at the Surgery Branch of the NCI and a surgical oncology fellowship at Moffitt Cancer Center.

Andrew Poklepovic, M.D. Member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center; assistant professor of internal medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care at the VCU School of Medicine

A board-certified medical hematologist-oncologist, Dr. Poklepovic treats a wide variety of cancers and hematologic malignancies. He is also an active participant in cancer-related clinical trial design and has developed and led therapeutic trials for diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, lymphoma, prostate cancer and glioblastoma. He is the Massey Cancer Center representative for the Gynecologic Oncology Group phase I consortium, and is currently the principal investigator on eight therapeutic clinical trials. He has an interest in biomarker analysis using next generation circulating tumor cell enrichment technology for a variety of solid tumors, accelerating the development of pharmacodynamic analyses of chemotherapeutics for patients enrolled onto clinical trials.

Dr. Poklepovic received his undergraduate degree from Emory University and earned his medical degree at the University of South Florida College of Medicine before completing his residency and fellowship at the VCU Medical Center.

Michael Rao, Ph.D.President, Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System

Virginia Commonwealth University’s place as one of the nation’s premier public research universities has strengthened under the leadership of Dr. Rao, who is leading a new kind of national research university that is focused on the success of its people.

As president of VCU and the VCU Health System, Dr. Rao leads a national research university with a leading academic medical center that has more than 20,000 employees, 31,000 students, and 100,000 alumni living and leading all over the world.

Dr. Rao is responsible for one of the nation’s most comprehensive academic health centers that is committed to finding cures for diseases and saving the lives of people who need help. VCU Medical Center is also ranked among the best hospitals in the country and the number one hospital in Virginia by U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals.

VCU’s community impact – both economically and culturally – continues to grow and shape the lives of people in Richmond and beyond. Its impact is evident in many ways, including the university’s renowned athletics program, a surging School of Engineering, and—coming soon—the landmark Institute of Contemporary Art.

Under Dr. Rao’s leadership, VCU’s place among national research universities has continued to rise, with 27 graduate and first-professional programs ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News, including the nation’s number one sculpture program and number one nurse anesthesia program.

David Ryan, M.D.Chief of Hematology/Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, clinical director of the Gosnell Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Ryan’s clinical practice focuses exclusively on gastrointestinal oncology. He undertook his hematology and oncology training at the combined Massachusetts General Hospital(MGH)/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 1996 in Boston, MA. In 1998, he was appointed clinical assistant in medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital, then assistant in medicine. The principal focus of Dr. Ryan’s clinical research is the design and implementation of phase 1 and 2 trials in gastrointestinal malignancies. Since 1998 he has been a member of both the Experimental Therapeutics Group and the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center where he has been the clinical director since 2003. In 2009, he became the clinical director of the MGH Cancer Center and, in 2012, he became chief of the MGH Cancer Center.

Dr. Ryan received his medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY in 1992 where he remained for his internship and medical residency. He is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the New England Cancer Society. Dr Ryan sits on the editorial board of Clinical Cancer Research and The Oncologist. He has published over 100 articles in peer review journals, reviews, book chapters and editorials.

Danielle Shafer, D.O.Hematologist-oncologist and member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center

Dr. Shafer is a hematologist-oncologist and clinical researcher at VCU Massey Cancer Center specializing in lymphoma and leukemia. She has served as the local principle investigator for multiple phase 2 and 3 pharmaceutical and cooperative group clinical trials, in addition to leading several investigator-initiated phase 2 clinical trials.

Dr. Shafer received her medical degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed a residency in internal medicine at Loyola University and a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Richard Stone, M.D.Director of the Adult Acute Leukemia Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Stone is nationally recognized for his translational and clinical research concerning blood and bone marrow malignancies including acute leukemia, myeloproliferative disorders and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a bone marrow failure state that may convert to leukemia.

In addition to his work at Dana-Farber, Dr. Stone serves as chair of the Medical Oncology Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine, chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation and chairman of the Leukemia Core Committee for the national cooperative trials group the Alliance.

Dr. Stone earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1981. He completed his internal medicine residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and his hematology-oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber.